As there are donation requests all over the internet for [the spays & neuters to be performed by the vets participating in] *Operation Potcake*, I felt it necessary to re-post a concise version of my comment from last week which attempted to explain why there is no such thing as a free spay [or neuter].
Last year during Operation Potcake local and foreign vets volunteered their time free of charge. No vet was paid for his or her participation. In addition, all surgical materials were supplied to the participating vets for their use. These supplies which cost approximately $50.00 per animal were bought with funds raised locally.
There is no such thing as a free spay [or neuter]. a spay [or neuter] may be performed at no cost to the owner, but the materials used have to be purchased - whether with funds raised through contributions, or by the vets purchasing them from their suppliers.
The following question was posed by the *Tribune*: "Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?"
The options were: "As they did last year, foreign volunteers should be allowed to operate for free" or "Local vets should undertake the project at a cost of $50 per surgery"
Unfortunately, the premise of this question is incorrect: Neither the first option, nor the second is a true statement.
The correct choice of options should have been:
As they did last year, local and foreign veterinarians and their staffs providing their services free of charge and being supplied with all necessary surgical material paid for with funds raised locally, at a cost of $50.00 per animal? or Local veterinarians and their staff providing their services free of charge, and being reimbursed for all surgical material which they supply and use for the spays and neuters at a cost of $50.00 per animal? In each case, the cost per animal is $50.00.
The mistaken idea that the foreign vets' surgeries are free is ridiculous: All surgery must be paid for. Foreign vets are coming into a situation to assist the local veterinarians and everything that they need is provided. When local vets carry out spay/neuter projects within the islands of The Bahamas they purchase and take along their own supplies.
Unfortunately veterinarians in The Bahamas get a bum rap. This may be because they do not go around tooting their own horns and, perhaps, because few people know how much pro bono work they actually do.
The request below has been turning up all over *Facebook*:
**Request for Donations to Operation Potcake
Due to your efforts we've managed to convince the vets to change their minds and now we need your help again to make it all happen. We need to raise at least $50 000 so if everyone that signed the petition can donate just $30-$50 we will cover the costs immediately. If you donate $30 you’ll sponsor one big dog and $50 will cover up to two smaller dogs or two cats! To make a donation by Credit Card or PayPal right now visit our Global Giving page, http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/op… Or visit the Operation Potcake website for more options including check: http://www.operationpotcake.com/donate/… Please share with your friends or repost this, the more people that see this, the quicker we can buy our supplies!**
***So, as I had tried to point out in my post [re-posted to the link below]: There is no such thing as a free spay [or neuter].***
***The vets were just asking for their expenses to be reimbursed. They already have their own supplies of choice which they use when performing surgeries and spay/neuter clinics in both Nassau, and the Family Islands.***
Last year during Operation Potcake both local and foreign vets volunteered their time free of charge. No vet was paid for his or her participation. In addition, all surgical material used for the spays/neuters was supplied to the participating vets for their use. These supplies which cost approximately $50.00 per animal were bought with funds raised locally.
There is no such thing as a free spay [or neuter]. a spay [or neuter] may be performed at no cost to the owner, but the materials used have to be purchased - whether with funds raised through contributions, or by the vets purchasing them from their suppliers.
The following question was posed in a Tribune 242 survey today:
"Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?"
The options were:
"As they did last year, foreign volunteers should be allowed to operate for free"
or
"Local vets should undertake the project at a cost of $50 per surgery"
Unfortunately, the premise of this question is incorrect.
Neither the first option, nor the second is a true statement.
The correct choice of options should have been:
As they did last year, local and foreign veterinarians and their staffs providing their services free of charge and being supplied with all necessary surgical material paid for with funds raised locally, at a cost of $50.00 per animal?
or
Local veterinarians and their staff providing their services free of charge, and being reimbursed for all surgical material which they supply and use for the spays and neuters at a cost of $50.00 per animal?
In each case, the cost per animal is $50.00.
The mistaken idea that the foreign vets' surgeries are free is ridiculous: All surgery must be paid for.
Foreign vets are coming into a situation to assist the local veterinarians and everything that they need is provided. When local vets carry out spay/neuter projects within the islands of The Bahamas they purchase and take along their own supplies.
Unfortunately veterinarians in The Bahamas get a bum rap. This may be because they do not go around tooting their own horns and, perhaps, because few people know how much pro bono work they actually do.
I have never seen any other medical school graduate [in The Bahamas] treated with such disrespect and it is in stark contrast to the way that veterinarians are revered in other countries. I have never experienced the way [my fellow] lay people and animal lovers feel that they are as qualified [to make decisions concerning animal welfare] as a veterinarian who has been through years of medical school.
As lay people we should be embarrassed by our own behaviour and comments; we would never dream of disrespecting our physicians in this manner.
Learn more about a topic before you vent, there are always at least two sides to every story
For your information, Truthsayer, Dr. Bizzell and an American vet conducted a very successful spay/neuter clinic in Current, Eleuthera in May of this year.
I can only speak in regard to this situation. One of the main organizers of OP 2014, Laura Kimble, has publicly stated that Dr. Bizzell did give approval, as President of the VMAB, for the foreign vets to participate in OP 2014. That is why they were so shocked when they received the letter from the new slate of VMAB officers in November. We all, wrongly, jumped to the conclusion that it was Dr. Bizzell because his name was out there.
Actually, FamilyIslandMan23, it turns out that we all jumped to the wrong conclusion. Information is now coming out that it was NOT Dr. Bizzell who objected to OP 2014. He was President of the VMAB when OP 2013 took place, and had approved OP 2014, on behalf of the VMAB, a few weeks before his term ended. That approval was reversed when the new officers of the VMAB took over in October. Apparently dissension in the ranks of the VMAB had been growing all year and this is the result. Seems that there is much more to this story than meets the eye...
We are now hearing what might be the answer to your very good question. It turns out that, since October, there has been a new slate of officers in the VMAB, and they, along with the majority of their members, did not honour the approval which Dr. Bizzell had given on behalf of the VMAB for the participation of foreign vets in OP 2014. The plot thickens...
Actually, Peggy, as it turns out it was NOT Dr. Bizzell who objected to OP 2014. He was President of the VMAB when OP 2013 took place, and had approved OP 2014, on behalf of the VMAB, a few weeks before his term ended. Apparently that approval was reversed when the new officers of the VMAB took over in October. It seems that there is much more to this story than meets the eye...
Zags says...
As there are donation requests all over the internet for [the spays & neuters to be performed by the vets participating in] *Operation Potcake*, I felt it necessary to re-post a concise version of my comment from last week which attempted to explain why there is no such thing as a free spay [or neuter].
Last year during Operation Potcake local and foreign vets volunteered their time free of charge. No vet was paid for his or her participation. In addition, all surgical materials were supplied to the participating vets for their use. These supplies which cost approximately $50.00 per animal were bought with funds raised locally.
There is no such thing as a free spay [or neuter]. a spay [or neuter] may be performed at no cost to the owner, but the materials used have to be purchased - whether with funds raised through contributions, or by the vets purchasing them from their suppliers.
The following question was posed by the *Tribune*:
"Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?"
The options were:
"As they did last year, foreign volunteers should be allowed to operate for free"
or
"Local vets should undertake the project at a cost of $50 per surgery"
Unfortunately, the premise of this question is incorrect: Neither the first option, nor the second is a true statement.
The correct choice of options should have been:
As they did last year, local and foreign veterinarians and their staffs providing their services free of charge and being supplied with all necessary surgical material paid for with funds raised locally, at a cost of $50.00 per animal?
or
Local veterinarians and their staff providing their services free of charge, and being reimbursed for all surgical material which they supply and use for the spays and neuters at a cost of $50.00 per animal? In each case, the cost per animal is $50.00.
The mistaken idea that the foreign vets' surgeries are free is ridiculous: All surgery must be paid for. Foreign vets are coming into a situation to assist the local veterinarians and everything that they need is provided. When local vets carry out spay/neuter projects within the islands of The Bahamas they purchase and take along their own supplies.
Unfortunately veterinarians in The Bahamas get a bum rap. This may be because they do not go around tooting their own horns and, perhaps, because few people know how much pro bono work they actually do.
[continued below…]
On Operation Potcake programme back on
Posted 6 December 2013, 5:22 p.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
The request below has been turning up all over *Facebook*:
**Request for Donations to Operation Potcake
Due to your efforts we've managed to convince the vets to change their minds and now we need your help again to make it all happen.
We need to raise at least $50 000 so if everyone that signed the petition can donate just $30-$50 we will cover the costs immediately. If you donate $30 you’ll sponsor one big dog and $50 will cover up to two smaller dogs or two cats!
To make a donation by Credit Card or PayPal right now visit our Global Giving page, http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/op…
Or visit the Operation Potcake website for more options including check: http://www.operationpotcake.com/donate/…
Please share with your friends or repost this, the more people that see this, the quicker we can buy our supplies!**
***So, as I had tried to point out in my post [re-posted to the link below]: There is no such thing as a free spay [or neuter].***
***The vets were just asking for their expenses to be reimbursed. They already have their own supplies of choice which they use when performing surgeries and spay/neuter clinics in both Nassau, and the Family Islands.***
[link text][1]
[1]: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2013/nov…
On Operation Potcake programme back on
Posted 6 December 2013, 4:46 p.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
This is a re-post:
Last year during Operation Potcake both local and foreign vets volunteered their time free of charge. No vet was paid for his or her participation. In addition, all surgical material used for the spays/neuters was supplied to the participating vets for their use. These supplies which cost approximately $50.00 per animal were bought with funds raised locally.
There is no such thing as a free spay [or neuter]. a spay [or neuter] may be performed at no cost to the owner, but the materials used have to be purchased - whether with funds raised through contributions, or by the vets purchasing them from their suppliers.
The following question was posed in a Tribune 242 survey today:
"Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?"
The options were:
"As they did last year, foreign volunteers should be allowed to operate for free"
or
"Local vets should undertake the project at a cost of $50 per surgery"
Unfortunately, the premise of this question is incorrect.
Neither the first option, nor the second is a true statement.
The correct choice of options should have been:
As they did last year, local and foreign veterinarians and their staffs providing their services free of charge and being supplied with all necessary surgical material paid for with funds raised locally, at a cost of $50.00 per animal?
or
Local veterinarians and their staff providing their services free of charge, and being reimbursed for all surgical material which they supply and use for the spays and neuters at a cost of $50.00 per animal?
In each case, the cost per animal is $50.00.
The mistaken idea that the foreign vets' surgeries are free is ridiculous: All surgery must be paid for.
Foreign vets are coming into a situation to assist the local veterinarians and everything that they need is provided. When local vets carry out spay/neuter projects within the islands of The Bahamas they purchase and take along their own supplies.
Unfortunately veterinarians in The Bahamas get a bum rap. This may be because they do not go around tooting their own horns and, perhaps, because few people know how much pro bono work they actually do.
I have never seen any other medical school graduate [in The Bahamas] treated with such disrespect and it is in stark contrast to the way that veterinarians are revered in other countries. I have never experienced the way [my fellow] lay people and animal lovers feel that they are as qualified [to make decisions concerning animal welfare] as a veterinarian who has been through years of medical school.
As lay people we should be embarrassed by our own behaviour and comments; we would never dream of disrespecting our physicians in this manner.
Learn more about a topic before you vent, there are always at least two sides to every story
On Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Posted 6 December 2013, 4:39 p.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
For your information, Truthsayer, Dr. Bizzell and an American vet conducted a very successful spay/neuter clinic in Current, Eleuthera in May of this year.
On Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Posted 1 December 2013, 8:36 p.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
I can only speak in regard to this situation. One of the main organizers of OP 2014, Laura Kimble, has publicly stated that Dr. Bizzell did give approval, as President of the VMAB, for the foreign vets to participate in OP 2014. That is why they were so shocked when they received the letter from the new slate of VMAB officers in November. We all, wrongly, jumped to the conclusion that it was Dr. Bizzell because his name was out there.
On Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Posted 1 December 2013, 9:43 a.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
Actually, FamilyIslandMan23, it turns out that we all jumped to the wrong conclusion. Information is now coming out that it was NOT Dr. Bizzell who objected to OP 2014. He was President of the VMAB when OP 2013 took place, and had approved OP 2014, on behalf of the VMAB, a few weeks before his term ended. That approval was reversed when the new officers of the VMAB took over in October. Apparently dissension in the ranks of the VMAB had been growing all year and this is the result. Seems that there is much more to this story than meets the eye...
On Operation Potcake has been cancelled following opposition from local vets. How do you think the spay and neuter programme should be run?
Posted 1 December 2013, 8:08 a.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
As I said before, banker, don't make the mistake of painting them all with the same brush!
On Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Posted 30 November 2013, 7:58 p.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
banker, as I stated in a previous post, I cannot paint all the vets in The Bahamas with the same brush.
On Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Posted 30 November 2013, 7:44 p.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
We are now hearing what might be the answer to your very good question. It turns out that, since October, there has been a new slate of officers in the VMAB, and they, along with the majority of their members, did not honour the approval which Dr. Bizzell had given on behalf of the VMAB for the participation of foreign vets in OP 2014. The plot thickens...
On Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Posted 30 November 2013, 7:36 p.m. Suggest removal
Zags says...
Actually, Peggy, as it turns out it was NOT Dr. Bizzell who objected to OP 2014. He was President of the VMAB when OP 2013 took place, and had approved OP 2014, on behalf of the VMAB, a few weeks before his term ended. Apparently that approval was reversed when the new officers of the VMAB took over in October. It seems that there is much more to this story than meets the eye...
On Operation Potcake cancelled after local vet opposition
Posted 30 November 2013, 7:12 p.m. Suggest removal